Toy Story
by Suzqnv5689
Summary: Edward is a Ken doll, given to Bella on her sixth birthday. They have lots of fun together, but what will happen when Bella grows up? Will she forget all about Ken? - Sounds silly? That's exactly the point.
1. Gift

**My first ever posted story. The idea got stuck in my head after listening to _Lego House_ by Ed Sheeran, which got me thinking about Toy Story, which obviously got me thinking about Twilight... Everything reminds me of Twilight. ;) **

**This is just for fun and please understand that it was written with humorous intent. It is not intended to degrade Twilight or any of it's characters in any way.**

**English is not my first language, so please excuse me for any grammatical errors. Constructive criticism is always welcome though. :)**

**Disclamer: I do not own Twilight, Toy Story or any of the brands occurring in this story.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1 - Gift<strong>

"Are you sure you want to give her this?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Would you stop asking me that?"

"She's only six."

"So? Every six year old girl has dolls. Besides it's not like she never had a doll before."

They'd had this conversation at least five times in the past week. Ever since the woman had picked me up in the store.

"But why did you have to get her the boy?"

The man wasn't pleased with his wife's choice of gift. I couldn't help but be a little offended. I was a classic after all. Besides my target age group started at four.

"Seriously? That's what you're worried about? It's not like she'll marry it, Charlie. Every girl gets a Barbie. I wanted to give our girl something different, something special. Now stop whining and start singing before she wakes up."

I'd seen the woman coming down the aisle through the plastic window in my box. She was searching the racks with an exceptionally bored expression. When she spotted me between all the pink Barbies, she nearly set off the alarms with her squeal of joy. A sales attendant came and asked her what was wrong. She simply took me from the rack and had me gift wrapped while she paid.

I hadn't seen much after that except the inside of the wrapping paper. But I could hear them. I guessed Renee, as I'd heard the man call her once, kept me hidden in a closet and every time the door would open I could hear them talking.

I heard another door open now and Renee and Charlie started singing _Happy Birthday_. A little girl's voice started moaning as she awoke.

"Mommy... You promised no singing."

Renee giggled. "I know, sweetie. Happy birthday!"

"Happy birthday, Bells. Your mom got you a present."

"Yes! Open it, Bella! You're gonna love it."

I couldn't be sure, but I had a feeling Charlie was rolling his eyes right now.

This was it. I was going to meet my owner. I hoped I would like her. I don't think I can live through my plastic life playing with a spoiled brat. If she was anything like her mother, it would be alright. Renee seemed a little overly enthusiastic, but she was bound to be up for a few adventures.

My box shook and I heard the tearing of paper before the light shone through my plastic window once again. At first I couldn't see anything but the purple, flowery bed sheet I was facing. But then I was turned around and the most adorable little girl stared back at me. She had brown, shoulder length hair that was tousled and wild from the nights sleep. Her eyes were also brown, chocolate brown. She looked a lot like her mother actually. I hoped that was a good sign for her personality.

Her face fell a little when she realized what I was. "Thank you, mommy. But all the other girls in school have a Barbie. I'll be the only girl with a Ken. They won't play with me."

"Told you she wouldn't like it," Charlie mumbled. I guess I was wrong; she got her personality from her father.

"Of course they'll play with you, sweetie," Renee told her. "All the Barbies of your friends will want to be Ken's girlfriend and marry him." _Great_, I thought. "You'll be the most popular girl in class. You'll see."

That prospect didn't really seem to cheer her up either, but she smiled a little bigger regardless. "Thank you, mommy. Thank you, daddy."

"You're welcome, honey." Renee gave her daughter a big kiss on the top of her head before turning in the direction of Charlie's voice and smirking.

"Hurry up and have breakfast, you two. The guests will be arriving in a few hours. I'll take this fellow downstairs and free him from his box so you can play before the party starts."

"Come on Bella. Let's put you in that new birthday dress I bought you."

Renee lifted Bella off the bed, while Charlie carried me out the room. He put me down again on the kitchen counter and started rummaging through the drawers.

I was happy to get out of these restraints and this stupid box. If you ask me, they tied dolls way too tightly. It's not like we're going anywhere anyway. My back was stiff and my wrists hurt like I'd been in handcuffs too long. And don't get me started on the neck brace.

Charlie turned around and I got my first good look at him. Bella had inherited her chocolate brown eyes from him, but his most striking feature was his thick moustache. He had a police uniform on. The irony didn't escape me that he would be the one to free me from the handcuffs.

Then I saw the huge pair of scissors he carried. He wasn't going to cut me loose with that, was he? He probably was a good guy, but his earlier comments on me didn't exactly increase my trust in him. Besides, I only had tiny limbs; easily cut by a pair of scissors that was larger than me. And what about my perfectly styled hair?

If I could have closed my eyes, I would have. But Charlie got me out of the box without accidents and thankfully put the scissors away again. Then he turned back to me and picked me of the counter to examine me more closely. His eyes seemed to be sizing me up.

"Listen pal. You may be a doll and have that innocent look on your face, but don't go getting any ideas. Bella's my little girl and you better treat her well or the scissors are coming out again."

Strange human, this one. The threat with the scissors hit a sensitive spot though. But even if I could, I would never do something to hurt a cute little girl like Bella.

She came running in the room then. Her hair was neatly combed and pulled back with a big white ribbon. She wore a knee-length dress that flared out at the bottom. The dark blue color complemented her pale complexion perfectly.

"Can I play now? Please? I want to show Ken my other toys."

"Have you finished your breakfast? Alright then. Here you go, Bells."

Charlie bent down so he could give me to her. Bella gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and ran off with me in her arms. I could just see Renee as she gave Charlie a goodbye kiss and wished him good luck at work.

"I'll introduce you to Jacob first. He's my favorite," Bella was saying as she hurried up the stairs. I had to admit that I was anxious and nervous to meet her other toys. Besides the owner, they were the ones a doll had to spend his entire day with.

We went back into her room and she ran straight to the bed. She sat down and picked up a stuffed animal from the pillow. She must have slept with it. I hadn't noticed it before when she'd unwrapped me.

"This is Jacob. He's a wolf and he's my best friend. Jacob, meet Ken." She placed us both on one of her legs, facing each other and started talking about Jacob and the fun times they'd had.

"Hey. What's up? I'm Jake."

"Nice to meet you. My name's Edward actually. Ken is just my brand." Humans couldn't hear us. Bella was still prattling along about the adventures she'd had with Jake.

"Well, Edward than. You're a lucky doll with this one here. She's the best owner one could wish for. Not a single one of her toys has a scratch on it. The only toy she ever lost was a doll named Victoria. It went missing in the super market. Bella cried for days."

"What are the other toys like?" I asked him.

"O, they're great. Can you see the shelf above the bed? That's where all the other stuffed animals stay. The big bear is Sam. He usually keeps an eye out for when the humans come back. The lion's name is Paul. He's a bit proud, but a good guy. The monkeys are the goofballs around here. The big one is Jared and the two smaller ones are Embry and Quil. Then there's Leah and Seth, the two horses. Bella also has a Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, but we haven't seen them in a while. You're the first doll here since Victoria."

It was nice talking to someone again; I hadn't talked to anyone in a long time. Jacob obviously felt at ease here and the enthusiastic way he talked about his friends gave me hope that I would like it here as well.

Bella had changed the subject to her upcoming party now. She seemed a little nervous.

"Why is she so nervous for her party? Shouldn't she be happy about her birthday?"

"She's just a little shy. Her mother invited her entire class, but she's not that comfortable in big groups. She only has one real good friend, Angela. Nice kid. You'll meet her soon enough."

"Bella, honey?" Renee was calling her. "Your friends are here. Come downstairs and say hello. We'll have cake in a minute."

"I'm coming, mom." She put us down on the bed. "I have to go. I'll be back soon. Don't go away." She adjusted her skirt and with a big sigh turned around and walked out the room.

"Come on. I'll introduce you to the rest," Jake said as soon as she was gone. I looked at the door hesitatingly. "Don't worry. It'll be a while before anyone comes back. Renee doesn't let the kids come upstairs when there are that many guests."

I followed Jake and climbed up to the shelf with the other animals. It seemed a little premature, we hadn't even really played after all, but I was feeling pretty good. I seemed to have won the toys' jackpot. A nice owner, friendly other toys… Well, I liked Jake. If everything else turned out to be a big disappointment, I had a feeling I would at least have one friend here.

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><p><strong>Tell me what you think. I'm writing chapter 2, but I don't know when it'll be done or how fast I can post the other chapters. It's my first story, so it's all trial and error. :)<strong>


	2. Mr and Mrs Potato Head

**Chapter 2 - Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head**

"Hey guys. This is Edward. Edward, meet the gang."

"Good morning. It is nice to meet you all."

Sam came forward first. He was a typical teddy bear with a blue ribbon around his neck. His fur was dark, almost black, and he was twice as tall as me. Truth be told, I was a little intimidated.

"It's nice to meet you too, Edward. Make yourself at home and get to know everyone."

"Yeah, welcome to the Swan residence! But where's your girlfriend, Ken? I'd love to make _her_ feel at home." It was the big monkey who spoke next. He had light beige colored hair and his arms and legs were much too long for his already tall body.

"Play nice, Jared. He only just got here. Quil, Embry, stop snickering." Sam spoke with authority. It was obvious that the others had great respect for him, because they immediately stopped laughing. "You'll have to excuse the monkeys, Edward. They like to make people feel uncomfortable with their jokes. Now, please excuse me, but I have to keep watch in case one of the kids decides to explore the upstairs area. I'm sure the others will give you a warm welcome though."

Sam climbed down from the shelf and the lion took a step forward.

"Don't worry about Sam. I'm Paul.". He was quite a bit shorter than Sam and his mane made him look cute and funny rather than the king of the jungle. "I want to get to know _you_. Jared may have been joking, but it says _Ultimate Boyfriend_ on your shirt so what's the deal?"

It was true; my shirt did say _Ultimate Boyfriend_. I wasn't very fond of the whole outfit. It consisted of a simple pair of jeans and a light blue t-shirt, but it felt way too casual for me. I was a little jealous of my brothers who came with a cool beach outfit or a handsome suit.

But the worst part of the ensemble were definitely the letters and the bright pink heart on my chest. Come to think of it, that did explain Charlie's reaction earlier. He didn't need to worry. I didn't even know if the statement was true. I couldn't remember anything from before I'd been put in that box and I certainly hadn't had a girlfriend since then. It's hard to talk to other toys when you're separated by layers of cardboard and stacked on shelves.

"Ken may be attached to Barbie's hip, but Edward is still single."

Jared started laughing. "Too bad. As Sam already told you, my name is Jared. These are Quil and Embry." He pointed to the two smaller monkeys. "Come on guys, let's go find Ken here a welcome gift."

I watched as Jared leaned forward and fell of the edge of the shelf. I gasped and reflexively took a step forward trying to grab him. But to my surprise the others started laughing.

"He does that all the time," Jake said.

They hadn't really eased my worries, but a moment later Jared came back into view. He was hanging from a cable with little paper lanterns that was stretched between the bed and the window.

"Are you coming or not?" he yelled. Quil and Embry quickly ran to the edge, greeting me as they passed, and let themselves fall as well. Jared grinned widely at me before he turned around and swung further down the wire with ease. He jumped to the windowsill and climbed down the leg of a table before finally reaching the ground. I stared with amazement while Quil and Embry followed him down the same path.

"Boys... What can you do? I'm Leah, by the way." The beautiful gray horse turned to me. "This is my brother Seth." She nodded to the slightly smaller horse beside her. Unlike his sister, Seth had a black colored coat with a white star marking on his head.

"I'm going to watch the party in the backyard from the window." Leah climbed down the shelf the same way I had come up; along the bedpost.

Seth came closer and whispered: "Leah's a bit bitter 'cause she's the only girl around here. Well, aside from Bella. Don't tell her I said this, but I think she wishes you brought Barbie with you even more than Jared does."

He snickered and I couldn't help laughing with him. His laugh was contagious.

Jacob was now engrossed in a conversation with Paul. I sat down and let my legs dangle form the shelf. It was the first time I was able to really take in the whole room and the view from up here was perfect for doing so. The walls were painted a dark turquoise color. Not the kind of color you would expect for a six year old girl. The light furniture, however, made up for the darkness. I now recognized the table under the window was in fact a desk with a coloring book and crayons scattered on it. Against the opposite wall stood a dresser and a large bookcase. The room was surprisingly well organized and clean. It had a peaceful atmosphere and I instantly felt at ease.

Seth came to stand beside me. "Like what you see?"

"I do, actually. Does Bella like books?" I pointed at the bookcase. It was overflowing and the shelves were bent under the weight. There almost wasn't any open space left.

"Yeah, she's big on stories. She can't read a lot of them herself, but Renee loves reading to her. Her favorite's _The Wizard of Oz_. The others get bored when Renee reads that one to her again, but I like it."

Someone screamed through the room then. "Hey guys! Look what I found!"

Everyone turned in the direction of the voice near the dresser. Jared came crawling out from behind it and when he lifted up his head I almost fell down to the bed from laughing. He had a big plastic mouth complete with moustache in his own mouth. The big toothy grin bobbed up and down while he yelled out to me.

"Hey Edward, I found your welcome present!"

We all climbed down to examine the piece more closely. It had a small pin in the back which Jared had used to hold the mouth between his lips.

"Go on, try it Ken," Jared said. "I bet it looks great on you,"

"You can't be serious. It's almost bigger than his whole head," Leah added. She was right, I couldn't possibly wear that around, but I had to laugh at Jared's enthusiasm.

"I remember this," Jacob said as he examined the mouth. "I believe it's a piece of Mr. Potato Head. Sam! Doesn't this belong to the Potato Heads?"

With one last look through the door, Sam turned and walked over to the group. He seemed reluctant to leave his post and almost a little annoyed that Jake had disturbed him in his task.

He turned the piece around in his paws and confirmed Jake's assumption. "Where did you find it, Jared?"

"Right here behind the dresser."

"Should we return it to Mr. Potato Head?" I asked. "He must be missing it."

"I bet Mrs. Potato Head doesn't miss it. Finally some peace and quiet for her," Jared joked.

"I think that's a fantastic idea, Edward!" Seth enthused. "They've been gone for way too long. We should find them. Anybody have an idea where to start looking?"

"All I know is that Renee must have cleaned the room while Bella took us to stay at her grandmother's house. We haven't seen them since then." Sam explained. "Good luck searching, but please don't make a mess. We can't leave the room in chaos when the humans come back."

He strolled back to his post by the door. I wondered why he was so careful about the exposure to humans.

"I bet she put them in a box somewhere," Paul chimed in.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go look for boxes." Seth stared for the bookcase.

"You guys go on your hopeless mission. I'm going back to watching the party. Bella was just about to blow out the candles," Leah said.

Everyone else started going off in different directions. I ended up at the bookcase with Paul and Seth. Paul was convinced it must be on the top shelf, but all I saw were more books. Regardless, it was as good a guess as any so we climbed up. It wasn't an easy climb as we couldn't use the books to grab on to for fear of knocking them out of the case. My stiff, plastic knees and elbows weren't really helping either. If I had to keep up with all the climbing in this room, I would be exhausted at the end of every day.

Paul was the first to reach the top. "Jackpot, guys! There's a box behind these books with a lock on it. Help me get it out."

We moved the books out of the way, but we couldn't open the lock.

"What are you guys doing up there?" one of the monkeys yelled.

Seth took a step forward to see who was calling us, but he bumped into the box and it fell down the side of the bookcase. The contents rattled as it crashed to the edge of the dresser and eventually reached the floor.

"Oops. Sorry."

We quickly climbed back down to where the others had gathered around the mysterious container. Even Sam had left his post, but he looked furious.

"What did I say about not making a mess? Look what you did! How are we going to get it back up there, huh?"

"Relax, Sam. It was an accident. We'll clean it up before anyone notices," Jake said.

"Look, you guys. The lock broke." Paul swiftly removed the lock and lifted the lid, while everyone came closer to see what was inside.

"Goodness me! What happened?" a female voice asked.

I worked my way to the front, anxious to see what the mysterious box contained and if I would finally meet this Mr. and Mrs. Potato head. When I looked inside, I could clearly see the two large brown balls. The rest of the box was filled with countless plastic parts, scattered in complete disarray. There were arms, shoes, eyes, ears, noses and mouths in all kinds of shapes and forms and they were definitely similar to the mouth Jared found earlier. One of the brown balls only had one ear attached to it, but the other still had a mouth and eyes.

"Jake? Sam? It's good to see you guys. All of you. Would you help me and my husband back up, please?"

Jacob lifted Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head out of the box, while the others grabbed random pieces and started putting the two back together. I grabbed a white hat with a flower and placed it on top of Mrs. Potato Head.

"Thank you, son. I don't think I've seen you before."

"I just arrived today. My name's Edward. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Potato Head."

"Nice to meet you too, Edward. But please call me Esme. And this is my husband, Carlisle."

We spent the rest of the day talking. The others told Esme and Carlisle what had happened since they were put away and Carlisle explained that Renee had indeed put them in that box. She'd said that Bella was to old to play with Potato Heads.

I enjoyed listening to everyone's stories and was extremely disappointed when Sam finally informed us that Bella was coming up to get to bed. I returned to the place where Bella had left me earlier in the morning. We decided to leave the box laying on the floor as if it had just fallen down the bookcase by accident, which essentially was true. It worked out better than we'd hoped, because as soon as Bella spotted the box and it's content she was ecstatic. She had missed the Potato Heads and begged Renee to let her keep them this time. Renee gave in and placed the box on the desk, ready to be played with in the morning.

Renee read Bella's favorite story and I could see why Seth liked it when she read it. It was written all over Bella's face how much she liked the story. I smiled from my place on the dresser where Renee had put me, as I saw her laugh at the funny parts or bite her lip from anxiety when the story turned scary.

When the book was finished, Bella was tucked in by her mother and she snuggled up with Jacob in her arms.

"Good night, mommy."

"Sweet dreams, honey," Renee said as she turned off the lights.

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><p><strong>I will put a link in my profile for a picture of the Ken doll. I'll introduce more of the Cullens along the way. Maybe you can guess what toys they'll be? ;) <strong>


	3. Yasmin

**Thank you guys for the reviews! :D It makes me really happy to know that my silly little story put a smile on your faces. Really, THANK YOU!**

**Real life is going to get a bit busy for me, so I might not update as often as I'd like to. Sorry about that, but there will be updates. Like now. Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3 – Yasmin<strong>

"Wake up, Bella. Angela is coming over in an hour."

It had been a month since Bella's birthday and just like every morning, Renee had come to get Bella out of bed. My days here were already slipping into a comfortable routine. However, today was a special day for me because I was finally going to meet Bella's best friend.

I had adjusted to this new life in Bella's room quite easily and fast. I spend my nights on the dresser and in the morning, when Bella left for school, I would meet up with the others. We would talk or act crazy with the monkeys.

Carlisle helped me a lot throughout the first days. He even gave me a few pointers on how to survive all the climbing. Because he practically didn't have legs and his arms were rather short, he had learned a few tricks. If it wasn't for him, I would have never been able to move this quick around the room and discover the best and fastest routes back to my dresser.

I was definitely glad we had found Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head on my first day and not only because of my friendship with Carlisle. Esme had taken on the qualities of a mother to the group or maybe she always had fulfilled that role. Either way, she had welcomed me with open arms and made me feel at home. Something I would be forever grateful for.

Sometimes I would stay with Leah. She usually spend her time looking out the window to the back yard. I felt sorry for her, because she was the only girl. One day she had told me that Bella's other doll, Victoria, had been her best friend and she felt lonely without her. I had made a promise to myself to become her friend that day and my efforts seemed to be paying off. She had stayed with Seth, Jake and myself more and more the past few days.

Sam would always warn us when Bella came back from school and then we would spend the afternoon and evening playing with her.

Renee had taken Bella downstairs for breakfast now and I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of Angela. We always stayed in our spots during breakfast, because more often than not Bella would come back quickly before going off to school and because today was Saturday we knew she'd be back soon anyway. Sam had been furious at me when I left the dresser during breakfast on my second day. But I couldn't sit still today so I was pacing back and forth along the wall.

Finally, I heard the doorbell ring and not long after that two pairs of feet came hurrying up the stairs.

"You have to meet Ken! We could play with him and Yasmin if you want," I could hear Bella say.

_Who was Yasmin?_ I thought to myself. Jake had told me a lot about Angela over the last few weeks, but he never mentioned a Yasmin.

Bella opened the door and stepped in the room first. She was wearing a simple jeans and t-shirt with her long hair pulled back in a high ponytail. She was followed by another girl who from Jake's description had to be Angela. She was taller than Bella and her hair, which had a lighter shade of brown, fell in waves to her shoulders. There was no sign of the mysterious Yasmin.

Bella pointed at me and said: "This is Ken. Isn't he great? Sorry you didn't meet him at my birthday. Mom wouldn't let me bring any toys down."

"That's okay. He's cool." Angela said in a soft voice, although it was obvious that she was just as excited about the play date as Bella. "Did you get that car too?"

Angela was pointing at my red Porsche 911 cabriolet. It was beautiful and modeled after the classic sports car like it was an exact miniature copy. Or at least that was what the box had said. I hadn't ever seen the real one, although I wished that one day I could drive in that. I desperately wanted to feel the wind blow through my hair and hear the roaring of the engine as it speeds down the highway.

"Yes, I got it from grandma," Bella said. There was a hint of disappointment in her voice every time the car came up. "But I wanted the pink Glam car. That one is much prettier." Obviously the girl didn't have a clue when it came to car styles. A pink car, honestly?

"I guess. This is a good car too, though. I don't have a car for Yasmin."

"She can drive mine now, if you want." _What!_ Bella was just going to let some stranger drive my car? I definitely don't agree with that idea. Especially since I still had no idea who or what this Yasmin girl was. But to be honest, what could I do about it?

"Thank you." Angela smiled and pulled a doll out of the little backpack she was holding.

_So this must be the elusive Yasmin!_ I thought to myself as Angela placed her in the Porsche. I now recognized her as a Bratz doll. They'd stood in the opposite rack during my stay at the store.

"Be careful with that," I said rather harshly.

"Well, hello to you too," the doll answered.

"Oh, excuse me. My name is Edward. I happen to be very fond of that car, so please drive carefully." I tried to make my voice sound softer, but her snide response didn't make that very easy.

"I don't see how I can influence that. Angela is the one driving. Anyway, I'm Jessica. Pleasure to meet you, Edward."

"The pleasure is all mine," I answered sarcastically. I rolled my eyes at her while Angela took her down from the dresser and drove her around the room in my car. I watched them closely, but to my relieve Angela seemed to be just as careful with toys as Bella was.

After a while, Angela stopped. She pointed at the desk and said: "Hey, you have a Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head?"

"Yes!" Bella enthused. "I lost them a long time ago, but I found them again. They were just laying on the floor the other day..." She trailed off and her eyebrows knit together in concentration. Sam would go out of his mind with anger if he knew she suspected something strange about the incident. But there was no way she could have known the truth.

Eventually, Bella shook her head and said: "Do you want to play with them? We could play doctor. It's so funny!" Playing doctor with the Potato Heads was one of Bella's favorite games. I had been the surgeon, amputating and attaching limbs to Carlisle or Esme, more often than I could count. It was rather gruesome if you thought about it.

"Okay. But who would be the doctor?" Angela asked.

"Ken will be the doctor. Yasmin can be a nurse!" Bella went on to place me and Yasmin together on the floor. "This will be the hospital." She placed the Potato Heads in my car on the other end of the room. Was everyone going to drive my car today but me?

"Wee-woo! Wee-woo! The ambulance is coming!" Bella yelled.

Angela picked up Jessica and said: "Welcome to the hospital. I'm nurse Yasmin. Where does it hurt?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head were in a car crash. Look, Mrs. Potato Head has a broken arm and Mr. Potato Head lost his feet."

"I see. Let's take you both to doctor Ken. He'll have a solution." Angela picked me up now and lowered her voice in an attempt to sound like a boy. "Nurse Yasmin, go bring me some arms and legs while I give these people a shot for the pain."

Bella took down the box with parts from the desk and started searching in it. "What kind of arm should we use for Mrs. Potato head?" she asked.

Angela and Bella started fitting different parts to Carlisle and Esme, giggling whenever they found a new funny combination. The doctor and nurse game was all but forgotten. Which left me and Jessica in silence on the floor.

"You make quite a handsome doctor, you know?" Jessica finally said.

"Well, uh… Thank you," I responded.

"Sure, very handsome… Say, is Barbie around?"

"No. Bella doesn't have a Barbie." I didn't really like where this conversation was going. There was a strange pressure in the air and it became uncomfortable to lay side by side. I wanted nothing more than to create some distance between us.

"Well, maybe I should keep you company then," she said teasingly.

"I have enough company, thank you." It might have been a rude response, but I didn't want to lead her on. She was trying to flirt with me and although she was a perfectly beautiful doll, I didn't want to start a relationship - as far as dolls can have relationships. On some strange level that would feel like a betrayal to Bella. She was my owner and it was my destiny as a toy to make my owner happy.

Jessica remained silent until we heard Renee calling for the girls to come downstairs. It was time for Angela to leave. They cleaned up the Potato Head parts and when Angela picked up her doll, Jessica said: "I sure hope to see you again soon, Edward." Then she winked before disappearing in the backpack.

When Bella and Angela had left the room, the animal pack came down from the shelf. I walked over to where Bella had left my car and inspected the glossy paint for scratches. To my relief there were none. I asked Carlisle and Esme how they were. It was always a bit uncomfortable for me to watch the exchanging of limbs. It reminded me of the scissor incident with Charlie on my first day. They insisted that they were fine and they enjoyed the game like always.

Jacob kept his distance from me. He stood by Jared and Paul, who were talking to each other animatedly. I had noticed over the past few weeks that he was in a particularly bad mood whenever Bella had played doctor with me. I caught him shooting antagonistic glances at me sometimes, but he always lightened up after a few hours.

Sam warned us again when Bella and Renee came back. They went through the normal bedtime routine and when Renee had finished the story and had tucked Bella in with a kiss to the forehead, she picked me up from the floor to place me on the dresser. But Bella stopped her.

"Mommy, can Ken sleep here tonight?"

Renee looked at me a little skeptically, but shrugged her shoulders and took me over to the bed. "Of course, sweetie. Sleep tight."

Bella tucked me under the covers next to her. She was snuggling with Jacob, who snorted.

"Huh. Don't get any ideas, Ken. _I_ am still her favorite."


	4. Barbie

**Sorry this took so long. Real life needed a little attention. It feels a bit weird to write and post this chapter in the middle of the summer. You'll see why soon enough. And Bella is going to grow up a little faster from now on. Otherwise we'll never get to 18. ;)**

**Friendly warning: This chapter is not appropriate for anyone who knows Santa brings you presents.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4 – Barbie<strong>

I awoke from the sound of Bella squealing. She was already standing next to the bed. Usually Renee had the ungrateful task of waking her up. To see Bella this alive, this early in the morning was definitely not normal. I briefly wondered if something scared her or if she was hurt. There could have been a spider in her bed or maybe she fell out. Often enough, I woke up to the wild twisting and turning of Bella having a nightmare, so it wasn't unimaginable that she rolled to the ground this time. But then I remembered what day it was.

"It's Christmas! It's Christmas! Wake up, Jacob and Ken! Let's go see if Santa brought presents!"

How could I have forgotten; it was Christmas morning. Bella had been talking about it for weeks now. Between those conversations and the early wake-up call, I should have realized it sooner. Only once before had I seen Bella this excited and it was on Christmas Day last year.

Last year's Christmas had been my first. I was a little nervous, because I didn't know what to expect. An old man with a beard and a red suit was supposed to land on the roof with his sleigh pulled by reindeer? Assuming that flying reindeer and sleighs were possible, surely the roof would collapse under the weight. After that the man, who they called Santa Claus, was supposed to climb through the narrow chimney and place gifts under a tree? A tree inside the house? Why didn't he just put the gifts under the tree in the garden out back? And how was he going to do all this without making a sound, at every house in the world, in only one night? It all sounded ridiculous and impossible in my mind. But Bella had repeatedly told everyone who would listen that it was her favorite holiday. And by the end of that day, I knew without a doubt that Christmas would be my favorite holiday too.

Bella had managed to struggle into her slippers and was now fumbling with her bathrobe. She was so nervous that she was even clumsier than usual. She had grown fast in the year that I had spent here already and it was fascinating to watch. Each day she would look infinitesimally older and taller. She got good grades at school and helped her mother around the house whenever her dad was working. Helping her mother out seemed like a necessity most of the time. I couldn't imagine how Renee had survived without her daughter. But Bella didn't mind doing it. She was proud of the things she could do and when her mother thanked her excessively with hugs and kisses once again, Bella's smile couldn't possibly get any bigger.

"Oh, never mind." She finally gave up on tying her bathrobe and picked us up of the bed. Tugging Jacob under her arm and with me in the other hand she ran across the hall and bounded down the stairs, the bathrobe swinging wildly behind her. She slipped on the last step and almost fell face forward on the carpet, but she caught herself on the banister.

"Slow down, sweetie! Are you alright?" Renee was already up, making breakfast in the kitchen. But Bella barely noticed as she started for the living room. As soon as the tree came into view, she squealed in delight. It was a huge tree, even bigger than last year. The star on top stood crooked against the ceiling. It was decorated in red and silver just like the rest of the room and several presents were partially hidden under its big branches. It was beautiful.

"Mommy, mommy! Santa brought me presents! Did you see?"

"Of course he did." Renee said as she came into the room and kissed Bella on the top of her head. "Merry Christmas, honey. Go and wake your father up so we can have breakfast. Afterwards you can open your presents."

An hour later Bella, Renee and Charlie gathered around the tree. The room smelled of hot chocolate and the sound of Christmas carols came from the radio. Jacob and I were sitting on the coffee table while Bella grabbed the first gift. Her hands were shaking from excitement and she fumbled with the wrapping paper for a while before she got it off. She gasped when she realized what it was.

"It's a Barbie! Santa gave me a Barbie! Look Ken, now you have a friend too!"

"Really Renee? You had to give her a doll again?" Charlie said as he rolled his eyes.

"Charlie..." Renee whispered.

"What? Fine, she can have the doll. But next year she's getting a baseball bat or something. At least you gave her a girl this time."

"Charlie!" Renee slapped Charlie's arm.

Bella was staring at her father with wide eyes. "Santa didn't give me this? Mommy did?"

"See what you did?" Renee scoffed. "Of course Santa gave you the doll, Bella."

"Oh, sorry. But don't you think it's time we just tell her, Renee? She's seven years old. She's going to figure it out sooner or later anyway."

"Tell me what?" Bella looked from her dad to her mom and back again like she was watching a tennis match, trying to figure out what they meant.

"Santa doesn't exist, Bells," Charlie said.

"Do you have to be so crude about it?" Renee scoffed. "Remember last year, Bells? When you came downstairs for a glass of water the night before Christmas? Daddy and I were wrapping a present and we told you that it had ripped open when Santa put it under the tree and that we were helping him by repairing it. Santa didn't really bring you that gift. We bought it for you. Just as we did with your new Barbie"

"O." It was all Bella said for a while. She seemed confused and deep in thought. After a few minutes silence she asked: "Why?"

"Because people give each other presents on Christmas, honey. To show them that you love them. And your dad and I love you very much, Bella. The story of Santa Claus is just a story that we tell children. Your daddy here apparently thinks you're a big girl now. Big enough to know the truth." Renee said with a disapproving look towards Charlie.

At least that part made sense to me now; there was no man in a sleigh with reindeer landing on the roof. A part of me felt relieved we would never be crushed by the ceiling because of flying reindeer.

After another short silence Bella said: "But I didn't buy you a present."

"You don't have to, Bells." Charlie said.

"But I love you too. I should buy you a present for Christmas, because I love you."

Renee sat Bella in her lap and gave her a kiss on her head. "Thank you, sweetie. Children don't have to buy their parents a present. At least not until you're older. If you want, you can make us something next year. Just go see what's in the other presents now, okay."

Bella looked back at the tree, but hesitated on her mother's lap. "Did you buy all of them? And I get to keep them? Even if I know that Santa didn't bring them?"

"Of course you can keep them. They're still for you. But the big one over there is actually from your grandmother."

"Really? Will she still come to visit today?"

"Yes, Bella. She'll still come over for Christmas every year. And she'll want to know what you think of her present. Go open it."

Bella went back to the presents. She didn't seem all that bothered with her parents' revelation anymore. If she was as smart as I gave her credit for, she must have suspected something was up ever since last year. She could be very perceptive sometimes.

The big present from her grandmother was a doll house for her new Barbie and me. She also got a new coloring book and crayons. The last gift contained a little tuxedo and a pink dress. Renee said that now Barbie and I could look nice for Christmas too. Charlie just shook his head and quickly changed my outfit while Bella got dressed. I would have been ashamed if it weren't for the fact that there was really nothing to see. The more humiliating fact was that Charlie apparently still didn't trust me with his daughter.

When he left to get dressed as well, Jake, Barbie and I were all sitting on the coffee table again. Jake was still ignoring me. He had been as often as he could, ever since the first night I spend in Bella's bed. But before I had time to introduce myself to the new girl, Bella was back and she had my car with her. She placed it on the table beside us and picked me and Barbie up.

"Ken, this is Barbie. Let's go to your new house in the car." She moved our arms to awkwardly shake hands.

"Hi, I'm Edward. How are you?" I said.

"I'm fine, thank you. But let's make one thing clear right away. I may be Barbie and you may be Ken, but that doesn't mean I have to like you."

"Alright… It's nice to meet you too."

Bella placed us in the car while the Barbie muttered: "I should have known. Stupid shiny Porsche owner."

"Hey, don't disrespect the car!" I said. But she just ignored me. I heard Jake snickering as Bella drove us to the dollhouse.

I had to admit that it was a fantastic dollhouse. It was a real wooden one and it was obviously handmade. It swung open on the side to reveal several excessively decorated rooms. Bella took her time exploring every room. We drank tea in the living room. Barbie cooked a meal that we ate at the wooden dining table. And just as we were reading a book in the comfortable plush sofa's of the library, Bella's grandmother arrived.

Bella apologized immediately for not getting her grandmother a Christmas present.

"That's alright, honey. I know you love me even without presents," her grandmother responded. She gave Renee a knowing look. Obviously, they had already told her about the events of this morning. "What do you think of the dollhouse? Did you know your mom used to play with it when she was little? I just found it in my attic last month."

"It's beautiful! Come see!" Bella grabbed her grandmother's hand and practically dragged her through the living room. "These are my Ken and Barbie. They already had tea and dinner and now they're reading a book."

"I see. Did they dance in the ballroom already? That was always your mother's favorite room to play with."

"There's a ballroom? I want them to dance! Will you play with me grandma?"

"Of course. Here, you take Ken and I'll take Barbie. Now, I think Ken is a real gentleman, so he should bow his head, reach out his hand and politely ask Barbie to dance with him."

Bella moved me into the position and said: "Dearest Barbie, will you dance with me?"

"I would love to." The annoyed sigh coming from Barbie told me that that wasn't really what she was thinking.

We were moved to the ballroom on the second floor of the dollhouse. Bella and her grandmother held us together as they guided us through the room, our stiff arms sticking out behind each others backs. Bella's grandmother sang Christmas songs as we danced. Slowly, I noticed Barbie relaxing a bit, until finally the sighs and huffs of irritation stopped.

"You're not that bad a dancer, you know," she said.

"Did you just give me a compliment?"

"No, I didn't!" She was quick to take her slip in composure back. "It was a compliment to Bella."

"Well, as they say: it's all in the leading. But thank you anyway, uhm… Do you have a real name?"

"Yes, of course I do. I'm Rosalie."

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><p><strong>Did you see that one coming? I bet you did. ;) The link to a picture of the (un)happy couple will be in my profile.<strong>

**Tell me what you think. I'd really appreciate it. Hopefully the next chapter will be up sooner. I can't guarantee anything though.**


	5. Bully

**a/n: Almost a year later… Uhm, so sorry for not updating sooner. Stupid, crazy life. Anyways… enjoy and LOL with me!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5 – Bully<strong>

"Get your arm down, Ken! You're poking my side!"

The day had barely started and Jacob was already annoyed with me. Ever since that night after I'd met Angela, he'd felt like he had to compete with me for Bella's attention and it hadn't done our friendship any good. I had taken up the habit of avoiding him as much as I could. That proved a little difficult this morning.

"I know, but there isn't enough space in here to move my arm," I said. But before I had time for another attempt at moving, the bag we were trapped in rolled over again. We were in the trunk of a car and Renee was driving. It was by no means a smooth ride.

"Ouch, you hit my head!" Now Rosalie was complaining too. She and I had gotten along well after her introduction to the group. Still, it was a little awkward being confined with the three of us in such a small place.

"I'm sorry, Rosalie. At least I'm not poking you anymore, Jacob."

"Good. Let's keep it that way," Jake responded.

"Sure, someone's head detaching is no problem as long as nobody is touching your precious flank," Rosalie sneered.

"Don't start with me, Blondie."

"Guys! Cut it out already. I think we stopped." We heard doors slamming and a few seconds later bright sunlight was shining through the seams of the bag. Voices were getting louder as I felt us being lifted in the air.

"Hey Bella!" I recognized Angela's voice from the countless of times Bella and her had played together. "I brought Yasmin. Who did you bring?"

"I couldn't choose, so I brought Jacob, Ken and Barbie. I hope Mrs. Cope won't mind. Bye mom!"

I heard Renee calling after her about lunch, but Bella and Angela were too engrossed in their conversation to notice. We were going to Bella's classroom. It was her last day of fourth grade and everyone could bring a toy of their own to celebrate the year's end. I'd been looking forward to this day since Bella first mentioned it. I was finally going to see where she spends most of her time when I'm not with her.

Unfortunately we were trapped in the backpack until after lunch. We listened to Bella's teacher and the class as they did their math and grammar lessons in the morning and sat in silence while the children were playing outside during the break. When the class returned, Mrs. Cope told everyone to take out their toys. The zipper opened above our heads and we were finally seeing some light again. I had to blink a few times before I could look around.

My mouth would have dropped open from amazement if it weren't for the risk of exposure. The view I got as Bella lifted me from the bag, turned me around and placed me on her desk was truly wonderful. There were tables and chairs in little groups of four and boys and girls were busy showing each other what they'd brought to school everywhere I looked. The enthusiastic atmosphere was the perfect complement to the colorful walls. The brightest shades of yellow, blue and green paint were only visible in the small openings between the hundreds of beautiful artworks that decorated every spot. I wondered which ones were made by Bella.

But before I could further examine the crafts and paintings, Mrs. Cope came into my view and silenced the class. She looked quite strict with her red hair pulled back into a tight bun and glasses on the tip of her nose. But she had a very pleasant voice and was actually more than friendly while explaining the assignment for the afternoon. The kids at each group of tables were to prepare a scene from _The Wizard of Oz_ and act it out with their toys in front of the class as an exercise in presenting.

It wasn't long before the whole room was filled with various discussions. Bella was seated with Angela and two boys whose names, I soon figured out, were Mike and Eric. They would be performing the scene where Dorothy and the others first meet the wizard and while they talked about the story and who should play which character, us toys had a little time for proper introductions.

"Welcome my friends," the doll belonging to the boy named Mike, started the conversation. He wore a white lab coat over his shirt and pants, but there was another costume lying beside him. His voice was laced with hospitality as he continued, but I couldn't help feeling there was something off about his demeanor. "I am the Hulk, but you may call me Aro. This here is Marcus."

He nodded to the racecar driver on the table beside him. The second boy, Eric, had brought him and his racecar to school. Aro told us he was supposed to be modeled after a famous driver, but I'd never even seen a race, let alone remember the drivers. Aside from a nod of the head, Marcus didn't really react to Aro's words.

"We are so very pleased to meet you all. Please introduce yourselves," Aro continued, unfazed by Marcus's coolness.

Just then, however, Mike reached over and picked me up from Bella's desk. "Ken dolls are so stupid! Look Eric, he's wearing pink!" They both laughed as Bella shouted to give me back.

"Oh yeah? Than what's so different and cool about yours?" Angela defended.

"Mine is not a Ken doll! This is the Hulk. He has superpowers." Mike picked up Aro's other costume to show them. It was piece of green fabric, stuffed full so that the arms and legs of the suit were barely visible in all its bulkiness.

I asked Aro what kind of powers it had and he proudly answered: "When I'm angry it makes me really strong." I honestly doubted that a simple costume could make a doll stronger. In my imagination, the most it would accomplish is make him look incredibly ridiculous.

The girls weren't convinced either and returned to trying to take me back. Mike and Eric weren't going to give in that easily though. Eric snatched Rosalie away as well and said: "I bet she pretends he's Barbie's boyfriend." And he started singing: "_Ken and Barbie sitting in a tree…_"

Mike and Eric moved us closer together until our heads were almost touching. I heard Rosalie say "Oh no!" just before our noses crashed against each other. The boys moved us around making kissing noises. I heard Jacob's howling laughter and Jessica's jealous huffs.

They didn't stop until Mrs. Cope took us away from them. "Boys, boys. It's not nice to make fun of other people or their toys. How far are you with the assignment?"

She gave us back to Bella while Rosalie said to me: "No offence, but… gross." I had to agree with that statement. There definitely wasn't anything more between us than friendship.

Angela told the teachers how they had divided the roles. Yasmin would be playing Dorothy while the Hulk would play the wizard. The driver with his helmet was assigned the Tin Man and Jacob's fur made him the ideal candidate for the Cowardly Lion. He didn't seem too happy about that decision himself. That left the Scarecrow for me. There were no more female roles and since Bella now had two characters already, Barbie could sit this one out.

We rehearsed the little play a few times until the teacher announced the start of the performances. I had expected Bella to be a bit more enthusiastic about the whole assignment. She enjoyed making up little stories for her dolls and stuffed animals all the time and _The Wizard of Oz_ was still her favorite. But she seemed to grow more reluctant to participate with every minute, keeping her head down and only speaking when she had to say her lines. I pondered why until I remembered something Jacob had said to me on my very first day.

Bella was uncomfortable in large groups. Of course that was it. She was nervous about standing in front of the entire class. And now she had not one but two roles to perform in the play. I felt extremely sorry for her. I wished I could do something about it. Tell her she didn't have to do it and protect her from the stares of her classmates. But I was just a doll. There was nothing I could do. For the first time in my short life I felt helpless. If only I were Pinocchio and the Blue Fairy would turn me into a real boy…

My fears were confirmed as our part of the story came. Bella's cheeks became red as soon as she walked to the front of the class. She took her position between Angela and Eric, but kept her head down and her eyes glued to the floor. She mumbled through her first lines for the Cowardly Lion and had to repeat them on Mrs. Cope's request in a louder voice. They came out even more trembling the second time and the already impossible color in her face turned even brighter. I desperately wanted to know how to calm her down and give her more confidence before my part came. But I couldn't think of anything that didn't involve me blowing my cover and having some serious explaining to do. It was hard to think straight in any case, because I was getting a little nauseous in Bella's shaking hands.

"And what is it you want, Scarecrow?" Mike said in a poor imitation of the Wizard's voice.

It was Bella's turn again. She had remembered to speak louder, but she still struggled to get the words out. "I… I don't h…have a… brain."

"Now we know why Ken dolls are so stupid," I heard Eric whisper to Mike. They both sniggered as Mike responded: "That's not the only body part he's missing."

Mike hadn't learned the art of whispering so it seemed, because the front row of kids had easily heard his comment. He reached his hand with Aro towards me. The outstretched arm of the Hulk-doll hooked into the waistband of my little jeans and in one swift movement he pulled them down.

I was naked… In front of the entire class… If I hadn't been made of plastic I would have blushed, profusely. Why didn't dolls wear underpants?

The first thing able to break through my own shock was the earsplitting sound of laughing children and the teacher yelling for everyone to be quiet. Chaos had erupted in the classroom. I saw Mrs. Cope trying to make her way towards the front before everything suddenly turned dark. Bella had tugged me under her cardigan and she was running. I heard her fast steps on the tiled floor of the school's hallway. She rounded a corner, jerked to a stop and sank to the ground.

We sat there for a few moments while soft, shaky sobs escaped from Bella's mouth, the only movement coming from her unsteady breathing. I became aware of something else than the fabric of the cardigan touching my right arm. "Jacob? Is that you?"

"Yeah… You okay?"

"I'm fine… Thanks. For not laughing earlier." I would have recognized his booming laughter over all the rest, especially because he'd been right next to me.

"I was staring right at Bella's face during it all. Not something to laugh about," he said seriously. I had to give him credit for worrying about her first of all.

"What do we do now?" I asked, but Jake remained silent. There wasn't anything we could do. Again. I was really starting to get sick of feeling helpless.

Bella's sobs slowly started to calm down and I saw light again. She placed Jake on the ground next to her crossed legs but held on to me. I got a quick glance at her face. It was blotchy and red, with tears streaming down both her cheeks. She shouldn't be feeling this sad. It hadn't been her fault after all and it happened so fast, there was no way she could have prevented it. Bella whipped her face with her sleeves and started fumbling with my pants. They were still hanging around my ankles.

Oh no! I'm still naked… I was sure the embarrassment would show up on my face this time, in spite of the plastic. Being naked in front of Bella was somehow infinitely worse than being naked in front of a few unfamiliar children.

I couldn't help my next move. The overwhelming feelings took over and I didn't even think about it. Completely on their own and involuntarily, my arms moved in front of me in an effort to cover up, just as Bella managed to pull up my jeans. I realized the mistake too late and I anxiously watched the shocked expression on Bella's face. Her eyes flew open wide, as did her mouth and she almost dropped me.

I held myself as still as possible. Afraid even to respond to Jacob's hushed warnings between his whispered string of curses. Bella's eyebrows knit together and she pursed her lips. She held me a bit closer and tilted her head slightly as she examined me.

Just then Mrs. Cope stepped around the corner of the little nook we were hiding in. "There you are Bella! Are you okay?"

She kneeled down and laid her hand on Bella's shoulder. "You don't need to be embarrassed. It wasn't your fault. I've given Mike detention this afternoon and he has to apologize to you. He won't do it again."

Bella nodded, but didn't take her eyes from me. Her teacher stood up again and reached out her hand as she asked Bella if she would come watch the rest of the performances. With one final look at me and a little shrug, Bella took her teacher's hand and returned to her classroom.

I was safe. For now…

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><p><strong>Little, teeny, tiny bit of a cliffhanger. Don't forget to tell me what you think! Motivation comes from shared enthusiasm…<strong>


	6. Cowboys

**a/n: Thanks so much for the reviews! :D I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story. Inspiration struck, so here's another chapter already.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6 – Cowboys<strong>

Big chocolate-brown eyes were staring at me again. The intensity of the look sent shivers down my spine, but I managed to stay still. It had become a ritual that occurred almost daily. Every afternoon as Bella walked into her room after her activities of the day, the first thing she did was turn to the dresser where I was sitting. Sometimes she'd just examine me from the doorway for a few moments and then move on. Other times, like today, she'd come over to me and place her head on her crossed arms lying before me. Those were the days she suspected something had changed about my position since she'd left me that morning. With eyebrows knit together, a scrunched up nose and pursed lips she'd stare at me for whatever time she needed to convince herself that her Ken was just an inanimate object.

It was nerve-wracking. I'd always doubt if I was in the exact same position with the same posture as a few hours before. In my head, I went over every little toe or hair that could be out of place. The first few days after 'the incident', as we'd come to call it, I didn't even dare to move when there were no humans around. Rosalie had told the others the whole story and Jake was more than happy to fill in the details. He'd probably had more fun from the whole ordeal than anyone, after he was sure that Bella was fine.

But worse than all that was the reaction from Esme. She'd been shocked frozen the first time we told her. Only when she found out that I had been saved by the appearance of Bella's teacher, she was able to breathe again. She had smacked me on the head and spent hours lecturing me on what could have happened. Her constant worrying still hadn't subsided and she insisted I didn't move in the morning until someone had seen my position so they could help me remember. It made my already substantial feelings of guilt even bigger.

Nothing, however, could have prepared me for Sam's rage once he heard the news. He had come barging at me with such force that I flew backwards into a corner of the room. With wobbling knees and my arms over my head, I had listened to him yelling all kinds of curses I never even imagined existed. Jacob and Carlisle eventually managed to calm him down, but I could tell he wouldn't be as forgiving as the others. He kept a close eye on me and barked orders like a true drill sergeant when his new, strict security rules had to be implemented. He was the reason I hadn't dared to move in those first few days. For a teddy bear, he could be pretty scary.

Seth had eventually made it up to my dresser to check on me and he'd told me why Sam acted the way he did.

"_Hey Eddie, how's it going?" he said as his seemingly always smiling face appeared above the edge in front of me._

"_Seth? What are you doing here? Go back before Sam sees you," I whispered between clenched teeth, my head still turned straight ahead. _

"_Just came to check on you. Haven't seen you in a while." He plopped down beside me and we sat there in silence for a few minutes until he continued in a quieter tone: "You know, he doesn't mean any harm… Sam. He's just a bit on the cautious side when it comes to exposure." _

_I sighed. "But why? All the others were able to move on from my mistake pretty quick. Why is he holding on to it?" His initial reaction had been a little extreme, but understandable given what I had done. However, besides Bella's scrutiny, nothing too bad had happened. The persisting grudge seemed completely irrational. _

"_I guess no one told you, huh?"_

_I made one last mental note of the angle my head was tilted in and turned a little in Seth's direction, but remained silent. I had no idea what he was talking about. _

"_You know… How Sam got here? Bella saved him from a trashcan. He was about to be garbage. Dumped like some insignificant piece of tissue you've blown your nose in… Maybe that's not the right analogy, but you get the picture."_

"_Wow… I had no idea. What happened?" It was the number one cruelest faith for a toy; ending up with the trash, all alone where no boy or girl would ever find you. Never again being the cause of a child's beautiful smile. _

"_Did you know he was one of the toys at Bella's preschool?" I didn't, but Seth continued before I had a chance to react. "One day, during a break when the kids were playing outside, some boy saw him wandering around the classroom through the window. The boy dragged the teacher inside before Sam had noticed. He was still standing straight, in the middle of the floor. He let himself drop to the ground immediately and thankfully the teacher hadn't seen him as she was still talking to someone outside the classroom. But it was too late for the boy not to catch him moving. The poor boy went completely crazy. He yelled and screamed and pointed until the teacher finally responded to him pulling the leg of her pants. He ran over to Sam and started shaking him around, yelling at him to move so the teacher could see."_

_Seth was so good at telling the story that I had forgotten I was supposed to be sitting still. My whole body had turned in his direction now, my mind completely captivated by the suspense. _

"_Sam had been terrified. He stayed frozen of course and the teacher eventually managed to pry him out of the boy's hands, but he lost an ear. The teacher took him away, mumbling about never being able to bring him back to the classroom now. Meanwhile, the break was almost over and Bella was getting back to class. She hadn't met Angela yet back then and pretty much kept to herself, so she was always the first one back inside. She was walking through the hallway as she saw the teacher toss Sam in a trashcan. First chance she got, she took him out and stuffed him in her little backpack. Renee sowed his ear back on and he's been here ever since."_

_I stared at Seth for a while without saying anything. I was stunned. He got uncomfortable with the silence after a while though. "So… Yeah… Sam was so grateful to Bella for his second chance that he vowed never to risk being exposed again."_

After that I was able to move around freely again. Sam still gave me disapproving looks, but they didn't scare me anymore. I understood him better and frankly I only felt sorry for him, never allowing himself to relax. I complied with his rules as much as I could, but I wasn't going to live in fear the way he seemed to do.

So here I was, more than two years later, at another one of Bella's inspections. She closed her eyes eventually and sighed in frustration. "We went to the movie theatre today," she said. "Me and dad. We saw the new Toy Story. I told dad I was too old for that movie, but he wouldn't listen. I think he just really wanted to go himself."

It took all my effort to keep the smile off my face as she rolled her beautiful, little eyes. This was the best thing that the incident had caused. Bella had started talking to me. I mean, she'd always spoken to us, but now she was actually talking to me about her life. She told me about the day she'd just had or about some book or TV-show. I had become somewhat of a diary to her and I couldn't be more thrilled about it. It was endlessly intriguing to me what she was thinking or feeling. So I was a little disappointed when Charlie came in and interrupted her.

"Hey Bells," he said enthusiastically. "I know it isn't actually your birthday until next week, but I picked this up at the theatre and I couldn't wait to give it to you." He smiled bigger than I had ever seen him smile before and held out two puppets dressed as brightly colored cowboys. "It's Woody and Jessie!"

"Uhm, thanks dad," Bella said as she took the dolls from her father.

"Anything for my Bells. Your mom is almost done with dinner, so be downstairs in a few minutes, okay?" Charlie responded. He kissed her on the forehead and walked back out of the room. "We're having steak. Or that's what it's supposed to be…" he mumbled.

Bella turned back to the dresser and set one cowboy on either side of me. They were slightly taller than me, but they slumped down immediately until the brims of their enormous hats rested on my shoulders. Their bodies were made only of fabric and their proportions were a little off. It made me wonder how they could balance their enormous heads without the support of my shoulders.

"You see, Ken? Dad never listens," Bella said, rolling her eyes once more. It was one of my favorite expressions of her. She looked so stubborn when she did it; like she was about to cross her arms and stomp her feet to get her way. But she never went that far. As much as she would dislike something, she would never hurt her dad by saying it to him when he was this happy. Instead, she kept it to herself. And me, if I were lucky.

"Hmm, I guess we should give these cowboys some horses." She turned around and walked to her bed, climbed on and reached for the shelf with her stuffed animals. Standing on her toes, she was able to grab her horses and take them down. "Here you are, Woody. This is Seth. And Jessie, you'll get Leah." She set the two dolls on the backs of the horses and took a step back to look at the result. The cowboys were a little bit too big for Seth and Leah. Their boots easily touched the top of the dresser and their bodies leaned against the horses' necks. Bella's eyes scanned the scene and eventually rested on me. She tilted her head a little and raised her eyebrows. "Do you want to ride as well, Ken?" she asked. "But I don't have any more horses… Oh, I know!"

She ran back to her bed and took Jacob down from the shelf. "A wolf can be your horse! I'll just set Jacob over here and then…" She bit her bottom lip in concentrated as she tried to get me sitting on Jake's back. "There," she finally said. Apparently happy with the result, she gave us one more smile and walked out of the room to go eat dinner.

"Get off of me! I'm not a horse!" Jacob yelled as soon as we heard her footsteps on the stairs.

"I can't. What if Bella comes back?"

"Sam will warn us and you can climb back up. But in the meantime… Get… Off!" He jumped and shook his body. I tried grabbing his hair to get a little grip, but it only made him angrier. He moved too fast; I couldn't hold on and landed hard on the wood of the dresser. Right on my backside.

"Ouch! You didn't have to do that!" I yelled back. But Jake only turned around and growled at me.

"Guys, guys! Don't fight!" It was the cowboy, Woody, who came between us. Oddly, I immediately calmed down. He just looked so silly with his skinny legs.

"Fine," Jacob grumbled. "But don't ever mention this to anyone!"

"Fine. As long as you don't joke about the incident anymore," I said. I knew I had him there. Jake couldn't get enough requests to re-tell the story. He, Jared and the other monkeys had been provided with plenty of material for a never-ending marathon of jokes, it seemed. After a few seconds, he reluctantly agreed.

"Fantastic! I knew you'd make up!" the cowboy named Jessie said. She was practically dancing with joy, her voice higher and more chipper than any voice I'd ever heard. She held out her hand and helped me up. "Fighting is no way to welcome new toys. And we're so glad to finally meet you! I just knew we were destined for a good family. I'm Alice and this here is Jasper."

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><p><strong>Check out the video in my profile of Woody and Jessie that made me think of Jasper and Alice during the wedding scene in BD1. LOL <strong>

**One more Cullen to go… What do you think Emmett will be? Let me know.**


	7. Left Behind

**a/n: Thanks so much for the reviews on the last chapter, y'all! I'm so glad you're enjoying the story! It's been a while, but here's a little Christmas present. :) Kind of a sad chapter though, sorry. It has to happen. But at least Emmett will finally be there!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 7 – Left behind<strong>

I was standing on Bella's desk looking out of the opened window. The sky was a perfect blue and the sun shone happily on the flowers in the garden. It was the last day of summer and soon the warm days would make way for the fall. I had joined the other dolls as they enjoyed some of the last rays of sun, but I didn't feel much like celebrating. I had other things on my mind.

"I can't believe it's been almost eight years that I've been here," I said. "Bella is growing up so fast. Soon she won't need us anymore. What if she throws us away?"

"Don't worry, Edward," Esme tried to comfort me as she laid her hand on my arm. "Bella loves us. Just as we love her. That will never go away." She had told me that multiple times over the past weeks, but the words were losing it's power. I didn't believe in them anymore.

"But she hasn't played with us in over a month. Before that it took several weeks for her to notice us as well. She doesn't inspect me anymore when she walks in the room and she hasn't really talked to me in half a year." I was starting to panic a little.

"She's been busy with schoolwork and you know how much she enjoys reading lately. That doesn't mean she forgot about us," Carlisle chimed in.

"Yeah, don't be such a downer, Edward," Alice said playfully from where she was laying. She had kicked off her boots and her head rested in Jasper's lap. They had adapted to life around here as soon as they entered. It was like they had always been here. Alice was cheerful at all times and had grown extremely attached to Bella. Jasper's complementary calm nature also earned him an irreplaceable part in the group. Lucky for me, they'd found a permanent spot on the dresser near me and I enjoyed their company immensely. "Let's just enjoy the sun. I'm absolutely positive Bella is not going to give us away."

"Here she goes again with her premonitions," Rosalie mumbled.

"It's true! Jasper was real worried about where we'd end up. But I always knew we'd land on our feet. And look where we are now!" Alice never missed an opportunity to expressing her gratitude for the warm welcome she and Jasper had received from Bella and the rest of the toys.

"That doesn't prove anything," Rosalie held on to her argument.

We heard a car come up the driveway and a few seconds later the sound of doors slamming. Bella was home from the fair. She'd gone with Angela and two boys. Angela had apparently met a guy named Ben and really wanted to go on a date with him, but her parents wouldn't let here go on her own. So she'd asked Bella to come and Ben would also bring a friend. It was strange to think Bella was old enough now to go on dates.

"What are you guys still standing around for?" Sam yelled from across the room. "Bella's home! Let's go, let's go! Back to your posts!"

I sighed and mumbled to myself: "She's not even in the house yet." I followed the others down from the desk and walked back to my dresser. I was still thinking about our conversation. They hadn't been able to convince me even a little this time. Every toy eventually faced the same fate. For some it just came faster than for others. If only I could freeze time and Bella would never get older. I felt like I could play with her forever.

"Edward, hurry up! She's already on the stairs," Jasper called out to me. My thoughts had occupied me so much, that I hadn't realized Bella was running for her room. I climbed as fast as I could, but I was never going to make it up the dresser in time.

I finally made it to the top and dropped down right there at the edge just as Bella came around the corner. She slammed the door behind her and grabbed me from the dresser. She was moving so fast, she hadn't even noticed that I had not been in my original position. Sprinting further to the bed, she lay down on her stomach and buried her face in the pillow. I was being crushed between her arm and her shoulder as I felt her shaking slightly. Soft, muffled sobs started coming from beneath her head.

She was crying? I couldn't understand why. Though I'd never been to a fair myself, I'd only heard positive things about it. It was a place to dance and play games and supposedly there was food and candy everywhere. How could you not love a place like that?

A few minutes passed before her breathing finally returned to normal and her soft cries stopped. She turned her face toward me, laying her head on her right ear. Her cheeks were red and her eyes still filled with tears.

"It was awful, Ken," she whispered, closing her eyes for a second. Her expression turned hard and her voice became a little fiercer. "I'm never dating anyone again."

What had happened? I desperately wanted to know. Had her date been rude to her? Had he hurt her? I was furious as I thought of that option. Who did this boy think he was? If he had so much as laid one finger on her… With a shock of irritation I reminded myself there was nothing I could do. A little plastic doll like me could never stand up to a human. Once again I was helpless. I couldn't protect her.

"Do you want to know who it was? The boy Angela's friend brought?" she asked. Of course I wanted to know. I wanted to kick his behind for making my Bella cry. "You've met him when I brought you to school that day. It was Mike."

It took all my effort to keep my expression blank. Mike. The boy who had teased her and bullied her and laughed at her. The boy who had caused me to slip up and almost expose us all. He had been placed in a different class after the summer following that fateful day. I was equally as happy as Bella that she wouldn't have to deal with him anymore. But apparently he was back and from the expression on Bella's face, it was obvious he hadn't changed one bit. He'd be singing an entirely different tune if only I could get my hands on him.

"He remembered you," Bella continued before my rage could make me slip up for the second time. "He remembered that I had brought you and that we performed that stupid play. And he remembered how I froze up in front of the class and… and…" Her voice had dropped to an almost inaudible whisper as she relived that horrible incident. A tear slowly made it's way down her nose. I wanted to softly wipe it away for her. Anything to make her feel better and forget everything that worried her.

"He couldn't stop laughing and joking about it all afternoon!" she said with more force behind her tone again. "I only stayed for Angela. She really likes Ben. But then Mike got the brilliant idea to win us girls a stuffed animal at the high striker game. And he got me this!"

Bella sat up and revealed the doll that I hadn't noticed hiding under her other arm. He was about the same height as me, but he was much bulkier. A blue pantsuit stretched tightly around his plastic muscles. He had on little red pants and big red boots and there was even a red cape. The outfit was completed with a big, red and yellow letter S on his chest.

"A Superman doll! The whole thing is so stupid!" Bella was the one getting furious now. "And of course Mike thought it was hilarious. He actually rolled around on the ground laughing for minutes. That's when I'd had enough and I'd called my mom to pick me up. I told Angela I wasn't feeling well from eating too much candy."

So that was how she'd ended up back here in tears. I felt incredibly sorry for her. Behind his painted-on smile, I even detected the sadness on Superman's face.

"Mom must have asked me over a hundred questions on the drive back. I just want to be left alone! Stupid people! Stupid day! Stupid fair! Ugh!" The crease between her eyebrows had gotten deeper and deeper during her rant and finally the look on her face was one of absolute determination. She wiped the tear from her cheeks and out of her eyes, straightened her ponytail and uttered two last words before storming back out of the room: "Stupid dolls!"

I was in shock. It was a good thing Bella had run out when she did, because my jaw had definitely hit the floor after her last statement. _She was upset and she didn't mean it._ That's what I told myself. But just as this afternoon by the window with the other toys, I couldn't shake the feeling something was drastically going to change. And not for the better.

"Phew, that was quite the introduction. She's not always this dramatic, is she?" the Superman doll said.

"Uh, no, not usually. Welcome, by the way. I'm Edward."

"Pleasure to meet you. Emmett." He extended his hand, but when I wanted to shake it he pulled away. "She's coming back," he whispered.

Sure enough, Bella came back through the door right that second. She had a big cardboard box with her and started pulling her stuffed animals from the shelf above the bed. They all disappeared in the box as she muttered: "He's right. I am too old to be playing with toys and dolls. I'm going to high school after the summer. It's time to grow up."

Oh no! This was it. The way all toys ended up. Discarded. Forgotten. I wasn't ready yet! There was so much more I wanted to do. And poor Emmett. He only just got here. I was starting to hyperventilate.

"Keep your cool, will you!" Emmett whispered through clenched teeth.

He was right. This was no time to panic. But I couldn't help it when I saw Carlisle and Esme being thrown in the box as well. It seemed only yesterday that we'd rescued them from the exact same situation. But this time we would all end up inside the box and no one would be left to come find us.

Bella was now moving to the dresser. Would I ever sit on it again? She held the box under the edge and with one swing of her arm shoved the doll house, my car, Jasper, Alice and Rosalie inside. At last she turned toward the bed again. She dropped the box on the floor and immediately let Emmett fall in as well. Then she picked me up. Her expression had been nothing but determination and anger up to this point, but her face softened a little as she held me close one last time. There was a sadness in her voice again as she said: "Goodbye, Ken." She placed me in the only corner of the box that was still open and closed the lid. It was pitch dark inside, except for the small slivers of light coming in through the cracks.

I was completely dumbfounded. She couldn't do this to us. I started banging on the lid and the cardboard walls around me. Sam shouted for me to stay still while Bella was working to apply tape over the opening. But I didn't see why she couldn't know. She was old enough. She would understand and we wouldn't be left in here for who knows how long.

Seth, who was closest to me, tried to hold me back. But that only made me angrier and I started to shout: "Bella! Bella! You can't do this! Bella!"

"Shh, she can't hear you, remember. We're toys," Seth tried to quiet me. It was a stupid statement. I knew we were toys. That's why we were in this damned situation. "Besides, we need you to take a look at Emmett. His arm dislocated when he fell in."

I finally gave in and stopped struggling so I could turn around. Indeed, Emmett was holding up his right arm which had come out of his shoulder. "They tell me you've played doctor most often."

"That was with Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head over here. Their arms are supposed to come off," I responded still angry.

Before I could even take a step toward him and inspect the damage, Rosalie interrupted us. "Never mind Edward when he's in a mood like that. Arm-fixing is an essential skill for a Barbie like me. I'll have you back up in no time."

"Thanks, honey. Say, you two dating?" Emmett said with a nod in my direction. I rolled my eyes. Always the same assumptions.

That was when I noticed Alice sitting in the opposite corner. She was curled in on herself, her arms wrapped around her knees. Jasper was trying to sooth her, but she was sobbing uncontrollably. "I knew it was too perfect. It couldn't have lasted for long," she mumbled.

Esme sat down beside her. "It's going to be alright. We still have each other. Bella's just storing us under her bed. She's not going to throw us away."

"That's right," Carlisle said. "You guys found us again. Eventually someone will find this box and we'll all get out."

Jacob walked to the center of the box then. "Carlisle is right, everyone. Bella welcomed her Potato Heads back with much enthusiasm and love. We have to keep hope that the same will happen in this situation. Look at what she did for Sam," he said as he motioned toward the large bear. "And remember how devastated Bella was after Victoria left?"

"She left?" I asked. Victoria was the only doll Bella had owned before I had arrived. But I'd thought she had gotten lost one day during a trip to the supermarket.

"Well, Bella thinks she lost her. But Victoria wanted badly to get away and see the world for herself. She must have seen an opportunity to run off. But what matters is that Bella cried about it for weeks. Look, I've been with her longer than any of you and I know how much she loves each of us. She's going to miss us and she'll take us out again. I know it." He looked up at the lid of the box as if expecting it to open any second now.

The truth was, Jacob's speech had given me a tiny bit of hope. Maybe this wasn't the end. I sat down and looked up as well. But it stayed dark.

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><p><strong>an: One more chapter and an epilogue to go…**


	8. Magic, Part I

**a/n: I intended this to be the last chapter, but it turned out twice as long as the others, so I decided to split it in half. Good news is that I'm posting both parts at the same time so you can still read it together. This is how I always planned for the story to end. I hope you like it. Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 8 – Magic, Part I<strong>

Another white line on the brown wall. Soon we would run out of space. But I guessed we could always erase the crayon markings and start over. We could simply add them up to spell out four years, two months and eighteen days. That is how long we had lived in this box under Bella's bed. And that is how long we had been putting chalk lines on the cardboard walls every time the tiny ray of daylight reached between the cracks in the lid.

I was going stir crazy. Even Jared had run out of jokes about seven months ago. The only thing that could keep us entertained was a deck of cards, but I didn't enjoy playing anymore. Not only because those cards are surprisingly difficult to handle when you're just twice their size. Too many people cheated around here.

"Hey Eddie! What you doin'?" Seth asked as he walked over to my corner. It baffled me that he was still cheerful all the time.

"Nothing much," I responded. "Just sitting here. Same as always."

"You know, you really need to stop brooding every once in a while. There has to be something we can do." He looked around the box as if suddenly there would be a new form of entertainment in here. "We could... ask Carlisle and Esme if we can rearrange their body parts again..." When I didn't respond, he said: "Or we could dance."

"There's no music," I stated.

"We don't need music to dance. But if you insist we can ask Alice to sing us a song."

"No, thanks." I appreciated that Seth was trying to cheer me up, but I only felt like sitting alone in my corner to sulk. It was just one of those days.

"Alright. How 'bout… We give that old dollhouse of yours a new coat of paint."

"And how do you suggest we do that?"

"Simple. With the chalk of course!" He smiled from ear to ear as he nudged the white chalk closer to me with his hooves.

I couldn't help but laugh at his suggestion. It wasn't even a bad idea. Maybe it would brighten the place up a bit. "Fine. But you get to ask Rosalie for permission."

Rosalie had been inside the dollhouse almost the entire time we had been locked up in here. And she wasn't alone. It had played out like a classic patient and nurse story when she had repaired Emmett's arm that first day. They had fallen madly in love and there hadn't been a single moment where they weren't touching each other in some way. It got a little sickening for the rest of us. Eventually we had to exile them to the dollhouse. They haven't been out very often since.

Just as Seth turned around to find her, we heard footsteps in the room beyond our confinement.

"It's probably Renee again," Esme said from behind the pile of hats she was sorting for the thousandth time. Since Bella had moved to college about a month ago, Renee had been in the room a couple of times. We never knew what she was doing, but I suspected she just missed having her daughter around. This time however the footsteps were lighter. I would have recognized the specific walk everywhere.

The footsteps came closer and closer until I felt a thump against my back. Everything was silent for a few seconds before suddenly we were jostled as our box started moving. I fell sideways and landed with my head against the chalk. I coughed and a little puff of white dust swirled upwards.

"Quiet everyone! It's Bella," Sam yelled, coming to the same conclusion as I had. "I think she's opening the box!"

Could it be? Would we actually get out of this hell of boredom? I started to feel a little hope, but it quickly turned to fear as I thought of what she might do with us. She was practically an adult now. She could finally have decided to throw us away. Panic boiled inside me when I saw the sharp end of a pair of scissors cut through the tape that sealed the lid above us. Flashbacks appeared before my eyes of my arrival at the Swan family and how Charlie had cut me out of my Ken-doll packaging. I didn't like scissors. They were not a good sign.

Light pored in for the first time in over four years and I was blinded by it for a long moment. I felt a warm, soft hand close around me and I rose of the ground. A big gulp of fresh air pushed its way into my lungs while I tried not to move. It was a strange sensation to slip back into the inanimate toy-statue after so long.

"Ken! It's been forever since I've seen you!" Bella was shocked, but I felt an invisible weight lift of me at the sound of her voice. Her eyes traveled up and down as she looked me over and brushed some dust out of my hair. "What have you been up to?"

_Not much,_ I thought. _Obviously._

Bella stood up and I was raised high above the floor in her hand. She had really grown. Now that my eyes had adjusted to the light, I took a closer look at her. The roundness in her cheeks had diminished slightly. Her hair was longer and a darker shade of brown. She had applied mascara and she wore a college sweater over her dark jeans. She was no longer the girl I had known. Bella had grown into a beautiful young woman. It was difficult to keep the proud smile off my face as I came to this realization.

"I bet you haven't done as much as me," she joked. "Did you know I'm at college now? English major. I share a dorm room with Angela. It's fantastic there. You should see it."

Her smile faltered a little and her eyebrows knit together. "It's so strange talking to you again. I'm way too old to be doing this." She sat down on her bed and thought for a minute before continuing. "It feels familiar though. And who is really going to see you besides Angela? Oh, who cares? I'm just going to find you a space on my bookshelf. Pack your bags, Ken. You're going to college!"

What?! I was going to see where Bella lived now? I couldn't think of anything I would have wanted more in that moment. It would be a dream coming true. Definitely better than ending up in the trash.

"Bella, are you coming down for some birthday cake?" Renee shouted up from the bottom of the stairs. Was it her birthday today? We had lost track of actual dates pretty quickly in our box. I tried to calculate back, but it was impossible. I guessed it must be fairly close to that September 13 date though and I knew she would be turning 18 this year.

"Coming, mom!" Bella yelled back. She turned back to me and said a little softer: "Can you believe she actually baked a cake herself, just so I couldn't not come home and taste it. She really does miss me a lot. Well, at least it gives me the opportunity to do some laundry and move some more things over to the dorm. I need more reminders of home there and I think you would be perfect for that purpose. You were here for almost my entire childhood."

She got up again and turned for the door. She hesitated beside the footboard of her bed for a second and her face became a little red. It was like she was already embarrassed about what she was going to do next. "I've missed you these past years. You have no idea how much I've missed you. I love you."

Her head bowed slightly and she brought me closer to her. Her full, red lips puckered and then she placed a soft, quick kiss on my forehead.

I was stunned. Although I knew she'd loved her toys, she had never actually said it. And she had certainly never given me a kiss like that. It felt amazing. I wanted to shout back at her that I loved her too. That we all did. But she wouldn't be able to hear me of course. It was immensely frustrating to be a doll sometimes.

Bella let go of me and I waited for the impact of hitting the covers of her bed. But I never reached the soft and fluffy duvet. I wasn't falling.

I was floating!

How was that possible? In a reflex, I turned my head to look down, loosing all composure in front of a human. Sam would have been furious. I looked back at Bella and she eyed me with an expression just as incredulous as I felt. Slowly, she reached out her hand and waved it over my head. Then under my feet. But there were no wires holding me up. She jolted backwards suddenly and almost tripped before backing into her bookcase. Fear evident on her face. I looked down again to see what had scared her and soon discovered the cause.

Cracks were forming on my hands. They started small, but were growing longer and deeper fast. Now they were traveling up my arms and I felt the tearing begin inside my shoes as well. It didn't hurt exactly. It was more like a soft tickling sensation. But that didn't mean I liked what was happening.

It wasn't long before the pinky on my right hand was completely separated from the rest of my hand and the tiny piece of plastic fell away. I panicked. I couldn't understand it. Was I disintegrating? I had never heard of a toy decaying this fast. And I had certainly never seen anything similar to what was now occupying the space where my pinky had been. It wasn't exactly solid or a fluid. It was what I imagined pure energy must look like; white and emanating light. The strange thing was growing and when light started shining from the other cracks that now covered my whole body, I realized it must be coming from inside me, getting larger and larger until the plastic shell couldn't contain it anymore.

Bigger pieces began falling away from me and my shirt tore until it too fell to the bed and I was left bare-chested. The tickling sensation traveled up my neck and over my face. It reached my eyes and left me blinded but for the white light that was now all I could see. It surrounded me completely.

No, it wasn't surrounding me. It was me.

Soon, I couldn't feel any parts of my skin left. I consisted of only growing white light. There were no words to describe how it felt, until I became vaguely aware that I did have a body. I finally felt the sensation of landing on the comfortable bed, although something tiny and prickly was stabbing my thigh. A solid plank formed under what must be my knees. Or were my knees simply bending over the edge, my legs dangling down and my feet firmly planted on a furry carpet?

The light started to fade slowly and I gained sensation in my hands. They were lying on either side of me, softly brushing the fabric of the duvet. I knew instinctively that I could move again and lifted my arms up. I squinted through the light that was now only a soft glow and stared at the shapes before me.

Two hands with five perfect fingers. Two human hands!

I carefully bent one finger and then another. They could move in so many different directions! It was mesmerizing. I moved one hand to my head and felt soft hair dangling beside my ear. An ear that I could fold and bend! I felt along my forehead until I encountered my eyebrows. I blinked and my eyelashes tickled the inside of my palms. I touched my nose and my nostrils flared as I drew in a breath. My lips dented and gave way as I lightly pushed on them with my fingers.

Ow! What was pricking my leg? I shot up and wobbled, not used to standing on legs made of flesh, bones and muscle. I gripped the bedpost with one hand and rubbed my leg with the other. Small red dots and streaks appeared in my skin. I looked down and saw the tiny pieces of plastic on the bed that had poked me. The plastic that had been my body seconds earlier.

Reality slowly sunk in. I was no longer a doll. However strange and impossible it was, I had become human!


	9. Magic, Part II

**Chapter 9 – Magic, Part II**

The mysterious light had now completely disappeared and I could see Bella in perfect clarity. She was still standing flush against the bookcase, knuckles white from clinging onto the sides. Her face was pale as if she'd seen a ghost, eyes bulging and mouth hanging open in disbelief.

"Bella?" My voice sounded hoarse as if I was recovering from a bad cold. Bella had heard me though. She'd winced, as unfamiliar with my voice as I was myself. But she'd actually heard me speak! I was elated. I had so much to tell her. But before I could, she seemed to have found her own vocal chords again.

"You… You broke…" she started, eyebrows set in a frown. "And then… White light, everywhere… What happened? How… And now…" She took a tentative step closer. Then her eyes traveled down and suddenly her cheeks turned bright red. She turned around faster than I could even blink and covered her face with her hands.

What had happened now? I panicked again. Was I changing back already? But when I looked down at my new body, I quickly realized what the problem was. I was naked. And humans had a few more body parts than Ken dolls.

"Oops," I muttered embarrassed. Now it was my turn to feel the heat of blood rushing through my cheeks and I was abruptly aware of a heart pounding in my chest.

"Euh, I'll g-go get s-s-some clothes," Bella stammered. She kept her eyes firmly closed and felt her way along the wall toward her bedroom door. "Stay here."

_Where was I going to go?_ I thought to myself. Then I realized that was a very good question. What was I going to do? I didn't know how to live a human life. I doubted I could hide out in here for the duration of it. Come to think of it, would I even life as long as a normal human? My thoughts were going around in circles and I was starting to develop a headache.

The door opened again and Bella stepped back in. One hand in front of her eyes, the other holding a pair of jeans and a button-down shirt. "Old clothes from my dad. He won't miss them."

I hold tight to the bedpost and took a small step. The way my ankles bent felt incredibly strange. How did people walk on feet like these? Finally, I was close enough to reach out and take the clothes from Bella. I sat back down and fumbled with the jeans. It took a little while, but I eventually managed to get them on. The shirt was an entirely different matter though. I had gotten my arms though the sleeves, but how anyone could close those tiny buttons was a mystery to me.

"Uhm, Bella? How…" She was still standing with her back to me, but took a careful glance over her shoulder when I spoke her name.

"Oh, here. I'll help you," she said. She reached out and started at the task. I stared in amazement of her buttoning skills. It was the oddest sensation to feel the fabric and Bella's hands graze my skin. It was a lot more sensitive than plastic.

"So what happened? How did you… How is this possible?" she asked when she was done.

"I don't know. One minute I was just a doll. And then the cracks started and the white light… Well, you saw it yourself."

"Were you really in there then? The whole time?"

"Yes. Ever since they made me."

"And you remember everything?" She seemed scared of my answer to that question for some reason, so I just nodded my head slightly. "Oh God. Oh no. You know everything about me! Everything I ever did or told you. That's so embarrassing."

She buried her face in her hands as it turned red once more. But I pulled them away. I wanted to see her eyes now that I was on the same level as them. "It's okay. I promise you did nothing to be ashamed about."

"Oh really?" she challenged me. "Let me think. So much to choose from. How about my disastrous date with Mike?"

"That wasn't your fault." Anger took hold of me as I remembered what he had done to her. Maybe now that I was human, I could finally teach him a lesson.

"Well, what about that day I brought you to school with me and we had to perform that stupid play?" Her questioning face suddenly changed as something dawned on her. "Wait! You were there. You did move, didn't you? I knew it!"

I couldn't think of a reason to keep that a secret anymore, so I finally confessed. It felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off me. Until just minutes earlier I couldn't imagine ever having this opportunity, but here I was having a real conversation with Bella and I was never going to hold anything back from her again. She was going to get to know me like I knew her.

Just as I was about to tell her my life's story, her bedroom door swung open and Renee barged in. "Bella, when are you finally coming downstairs? Your cake is getting cold. What are you even doing up here?" she prattled in one breath. It was only then that she looked up.

"Oh my. Who are you?" She smiled excitedly. Leaning toward Bella and holding her hand in front of her mouth, she whispered a little too loud: "Aside from the baggy clothes; he's cute!"

"Mom!" Bella inched away, embarrassed.

Now I was in trouble. How could I explain who I was? _Hello, Mrs. Swan. I'm the Ken doll you gave your daughter on her sixth birthday and I turned into a human five minutes ago. _That was obviously not going to go over well. I could see the wrinkle between Bella's eyebrows that always appeared when she was thinking hard. She must be trying to come up with an excuse like I was. I couldn't let her take the fall, so I reacted with the first thing that came into my head.

"I'm moving to Bella's dorm." Renee cocked her head sideways and stared at me. Bella had a panicked look on her face and frantically shook her head. No, that wasn't right. "Uh, I mean… I'm moving some of Bella's things to her dorm. Yeah, I'm helping her move." That was better.

"Is that so?" Renee said. She turned to Bella, who quickly adjusted her expression and nodded solemnly. "You didn't think you'd introduce him before you let him in?" Directing her attention back at me she asked: "How did you get in? I didn't hear or see you coming through the front door."

I looked around for a new excuse. There. "I came in through the window."

Renee looked even more confused now and Bella was about to slap both palms to her forehead.

"I didn't want to interrupt your birthday party," I quickly explained. It came out sounding like a question and it was obvious Renee didn't believe me for a second. But before I could make up a better story, we heard heavy footsteps in the hallway and a knock on the door.

"If you girls don't come down this second, I'm eating that cake by myself," Charlie teased.

Great. Now we had both parents to deal with. How were we ever going to get out of this situation?

Charlie took another step inside and saw me standing in his daughter's bedroom. He was shocked at first, but it didn't take long for him to turn white with rage. "Who are you?!" he shouted. "What are you doing here?"

I backed away as Charlie advanced and positioned himself between me and his wife and daughter. The footboard of the bed touched the back of my legs once again. I tried to come up with a reasonable explanation, but it didn't look like Charlie would listen to reason in his current state. I was trapped.

He was just inches away from me now and I saw his gaze move downward. "Are those my clothes?!" He was appalled and incredulous, but most of all furious. "What are doing in my clothes?!"

Charlie grabbed the closest thing to him off Bella's desk, obviously intending to hit me with it. "Get out of my house, you thieve!" I threw my hands up reflexively as Charlie pulled his arm back, poised to strike me with… Were those… Oh no! Scissors!

I made a break for it, ducking under his left arm and sprinting toward the door. My new legs still felt wobbly and Charlie's jeans were too long, but I moved as fast as I could. I hadn't forgotten what had happened the last time a pair of scissors had stood between me and Charlie.

As I tumbled my way down the stairs, I heard Renee trying to calm Charlie down. But I didn't stay to see if he would come to his senses. I had to get out. I pulled open the front door and ran across the yard, but I stopped when I reached the street. Where to now? I had only been outside the Swan house a handful of times and I'd always been stuck inside a backpack. Did I go left or right?

The sound of someone coming up behind me made me turn and I lifted my arms up protectively on instinct. But it wasn't Charlie who had followed me outside. It was Bella running toward me.

"Hey! Wait up! Where are you going?" she said between panting breaths.

"Uh… Honestly, I have no idea," I confessed.

"I figured." She thought for a second and said: "Let me call you a cab. Do you have any money?" I shook my head. "Of course not. Doesn't matter, I'll pay. Go to my dorm. I'll let Angela know you're coming and she'll show you around. I'll tell her you're a family friend or something, coming to check out the campus before you apply for next year. You remember Angela, right?"

I nodded. I was impressed by how quickly she had come up with this plan. I was immensely grateful that she was doing this. I couldn't imagine where I would go otherwise.

"It's going to be alright, okay? I'll come meet you as soon as I can leave this stupid birthday party and then we'll figure out what to do."

It was amazing how she could reassure me. All the panic and uncertainty from earlier was gone. "Thank you," I said even though the words felt more than insufficient.

"No problem." She hesitated before asking her next question. "So, uh, are you really… real? Human, I mean."

"I think so," I replied, patting myself to make sure I was still in this body.

A beautiful blush crept up on Bella's face again. "Can I…" she asked and tentatively stretched her hand out toward my face.

Guessing her intention, I bent forward slightly and let her touch my cheek. Just as I had touched my skin before I believed it, she was likewise verifying I was made of flesh and blood. A tiny spark of electricity formed where her fingers made contact and it tingled along my scalp as she brushed some strands of hair behind my ear.

"Thank you," she whispered as she pulled away, flustered. "Well, uh, I better get back inside. I think it's best if you stay here. Dad wasn't exactly happy to see you. I'll be back when the cab arrives and then I'll meet you at the campus."

She took a step backwards toward her front door. But there was one more thing I needed to say to her.

"Bella, wait!"

She turned her head up and locked her eyes with mine.

"I didn't get a change to introduce myself. I'm Edward Cullen."

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><p><strong>Awww. Did you like it? I'm so sad it's over. There's still an epilogue though, which will be uploaded in a few days. In the mean time, tell me what you thought of the story and the ending. And thank you so, so much for sticking with me and reading my silliness! :)<strong>


	10. Epilogue

**a/n: A little (yeah, you're right, a lot) later than promised, but here it is: The epilogue to Toy Story…**

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><p><strong>Epilogue<strong>

I stared at the pictures on my desk. One of a girl playing with her Ken doll. One of a young man, proudly posing at the opening of his store. One of a couple; the man in a handsome black suit, the woman in a beautiful white dress. And one of a bundled up little baby.

I have been human for twelve years. And it is fair to say that I have been blessed with truly wonderful memories during that time. Some of them now on display in front of me. My life contained in shiny silver frames. If you looked around my office you could trace my entire timeline.

There was the GED on the right wall that I got after months of studying the books on the bottom shelf of the bookcase to the left. The keys hanging from the hook beside the door across from me a reminder that I was the proud owner of my own business, as well as the red Porsche 911 cabriolet parked in the lot just outside the window behind me. The car a wedding gift from my wife, who was the only person with whom I shared the inside joke behind the choice of model. Next to the keys, a series of scribbles on white paper taped to the wall formed the display of my daughter's art. And below them, at a height convenient for children, a shelf housed a variety of stuffed animals and dolls. Friends from a previous life.

I was often sad that I couldn't talk to them anymore. They were less cautious around me, but it was only sporadically that I caught them somewhere else than the honorary spot I had given them on the wall. It made me happy though to see them played with every time a child came in to the shop, knowing that the toys loved every minute of it as well.

Distracted by my train of thought and unable to focus on the financial reports on my desk, I got up and walked out of the office towards the shop. It was quiet there, a slow day in January after the hectic period before Christmas. The windows and displays were nearly empty, all the inventory sold in the previous month. Business was booming.

Almost ten years ago, I started a small toy repair shop. My wife would say it was the love and care I put into every young customer's cherished possession that made those early days a success. Whatever the reason, it wasn't long before I was relocating doll legs and re-stuffing animals of children all over town. That's when people started bringing old toys to me, asking if I could find a new loving home for them. So I set up a secondhand toy store and when I finally got over my fear of scissors – a slow and torturous process - I started making new ones to sell. Demand grew and almost without noticing, my little shop had grown into a popular brand.

Technically, I was now owner and CEO of a thriving business with stores in cities across the entire country, all with the same personal care and dedication as that first shop. But I still preferred being here, where it all began. Working the floor with the sales personnel, seeing the smiles of wonder as kids dragged their parents through the front door. Repairing action figures of otherwise tough little boys who came in with tears streaming down their cheeks.

I walked behind the service desk and made my way into the open workshop behind it, intent on doing some repair work. I had given all the employees the week off, knowing how hard they'd worked during the holiday season and that they wouldn't have much to do right now anyway. So it was no surprise that I jolted upright from shock a while later as the loud jingle of the bell above the door broke the silence that had settled around me as I worked.

"Daddy, where are your?" a little girl shouted through the quiet space.

I stood up and walked toward the noise. A small body colliding with my legs as I came around the service desk. I picked up my daughter and spun her around in a circle, golden red curls whipping in my face.

"Hey, beautiful. What are you doing here?"

"We brought you lunch so I can play with Jake."

I laughed as I put her back down and she ran toward my office. The bell chimed once more and the most beautiful woman in the world walked in. Alright, I admit I'm biased.

"There's my other girl," I said as I hugged her and placed a loving kiss on her forehead.

She smiled. "I tried to keep her in to car until I'd parked, but it was simply impossible."

"Thanks for the food. I didn't even realize what time it was." I took the basket with lunch from her as we walked toward my office.

"Why do you think I'm here? I knew you would loose track of time."

"I owe you one," I replied.

The truth was I owed her a lot more. My first months as a human had been anything but easy. I had to learn everything from writing to using the toilet. It took a while to get familiar with my body. To recognize the grumbling in my stomach as a sign of hunger. To remember that I could move when around other people. Bella was there through all of it. She helped me navigate my way around a world that was suddenly much larger.

For a while I lived with her in the dorm in secret. I will never understand how she did it, but eventually Bella got me a fake ID. That's when I could get my first job so I could afford a small place of my own. She helped me study for the GED and with setting up my business. All while she was busy with her own studies. I could never repay her for everything she did. That didn't stop me form trying though.

I had loved Bella as a friend even before I turned, but our friendship was awkward in that first period since I was essentially a complete stranger to her. Still, she was the only one who knew where I'd come from and what I was going through. And Bella learned that she didn't have to hold anything back from me since I already knew her through and though. It wasn't until many months later however, that I knew the butterflies in my stomach and the ever present attraction were of a romantic variety. The day I confessed my feelings to her and she told me she felt the same, was one of the happiest of my life. Exactly three years after my change, I proposed. We were married the year after and welcomed a perfect baby girl into the world another two years later. For her sixth birthday this past September, our little artist got a large coloring set. Not a Ken doll. I gained a lot of sympathy for Charlie that day.

Now here we were, a perfect little family. Bella and I ate lunch at my desk while our daughter played with a stuffed animal on the ground behind us. It was little moments like this that made me realize that I had more than I ever could have wished for.

Bella winked at me before turning around and saying: "Don't you think you should give the other toys their turn as well, Renesmee. They probably feel left out."

I chuckled. She was right. I might not be able to communicate with them anymore, but I knew I would have a fight on my hands if Renesmee didn't give up her longstanding preference.

"But I like playing with Jake," she replied with a little pout. "His fur is so soft." She held the dog against her cheek, but what she did next shocked Bella and I out of our carefree bliss.

Renesmee said: "I love him," before turning her face and kissing him between his ears.

Bella jumped up to stop her, but it was too late.

A bright, white light filled the room.

_Oh no…_

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><p><strong>So this really is the end… Sorry! :( I cannot tell you how grateful I am that you all have read my little story and left me such positive reviews! Thank you! I've posted a link on my profile page where you can find out if your toys secretly contain your prince charming. ;)<strong>


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